ordered a all dark silver S 6 speed with sports package 4/1/08. 2 questions, is the front polyshield ($695) worth getting? .The BIG question is: The extended warranty (mini of peabody) is being offered for $1750 which takes it to 6 years/100,000 mi. Is it worth it? Reading the fine print, clutch,brakes wipers are covered and not a much else, it makes me nervous, please respond. Dan Faust-Salem MA

 

In my opinion the clear bra (polyshield) is well worth the money. I have had several incidents where the clear bra took the abuse but had I not had one it would have cost me much more than the cost of the clear bra to make it right. One involved a truck shredding a tire and the pieces hitting the front of my Mini, a large piece even lodged in the scoop.

On the second issue, my opinion is it all depends on how handy you are. If you enjoy and plan on doing things like changing your oil, brake pads, etc., I am not sure if there is much value added in buying a long range maintenance plan. Otherwise if you are like me and have limited mechanical ability, you may want to look closely at a maintenance plan. Clutch is a hugh expense, something to give consideration.

My two cents...........

 

I agree w/Kulmini. I'm having the ClearBra installed on Molly @ $895. I've added the Foglights as well +$45. I want my Brand New Car to have that protection no matter the cost. As for the Warranties I'd check out some of the other threads regarding this, there are many!!

Good Luck!!

 

This might be an eye opener: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...U=51&HBX_PK=pi

 

The only way I see coming out ahead with a $1750 maintenance warranty would be a clutch replacement AND a couple full brake jobs. I have to believe that all these people you read having their clutch replaced prematurely are either abusing the clutch or not using it correctly. 54k+ on my clutch and it is just fine. Unless I start racing this thing a lot I would expect it to last at least that much longer.

I would definitely get a clear-bra. I do not have one and in a year or so will be having my hood resprayed and a clear-bra installed. It would have been better to do the clear-bra upfront.

 

well, not too up on the newer models but, for $1700- these things are notorious for failing in our older models have the new models gotten better?

what if the power steering pump goes and/or fan... (notorious in our 1st gens around 30-40K miles)? dealer cost to have pump and fan done- $1100 and if they want to do the hoses too tack on another $300. another notorious "feature"- window motors and/or bowden cables $400 per side whether it's the motors or the cables. door lock actuators another $400 per side. then you have the clutch.

with those simple and known common problems you'd come out ahead.

again i'm referencing 1st gen MINI's for all i know 2nd gen's may be flawless. when the time comes to put the R50 to sleep i'll learn all about the newer models. hopefully by then we'll be in the 3rd generation though .

EDIT- Whoops! looks like they are offering you an extended MAINTENANCE plan. if so - different story. i was speaking of an extended mechanical warranty. if it's a maintenance plan then i would say no. do it yourself or find a good independent MINI mechanic in your area. Look in the NAM regional forums for your particular area for a highly recommended mechanic when the warranty expires.

oh and yes to clear bra- the MINI front end is a stone magnet.

 

What is the clear bra? Is it invisible (ie, a coating) or is it a piece of clear plastic? Does it negatively affect the looks?

 

been driving manual cars for years and my clutch (more specifically throwout bearing) went at 45k. The cars have horrible clutch's and it's just the luck of the draw how long yours will last.

That being said I went to 3 dealerships before one would agree to fix the problem even though i was 5k short of the warranty being up.

I've had horrible experiences with every dealership i've ever been to except long beach mini. I've had to fight tooth and nail for every last little thing to be covered... and because of that I feel the extended warranty is worthless. You're better off pocketing that money and using it to fix what ever would possibly happen yourself through an independent mini shop... IE steve's auto clinic or something like that.

Just remember that the warranty has a gray area in it for wear items... so it depends from dealership to dealership if they will warranty things like brakes and clutch's.

As far as clear bra protection. I've been quoted 500 bux to sand, fill and repaint my hood and aero kit bumper. So if you're paying a bunch for the clear bra it's not exactly worth it. You could get a paint job for around 750 easily if you know the right people and a clear bra is only going to absorb the small to medium size hits. Also you can see the clear bra on the car from about 10-15 paces. especially once you start to get wax build up on it. It just ruins the looks of the car imo. i'd rather have rock chips then a hazy line on the paint with poor light reflection.

That being said of the two things you mentioned I would say clear bra... understandable and worth it to some. Extended warranty... never, no matter what the product and no matter what the application. There are always better, enthusiasts ways of getting your product serviced with a little bit of self education.

 

That's a pretty odd argument, IMO.

Cost about the same to repaint the front end as it does to have a clearbra installed. Okay... what happens after you repaint the front end ? You're going to get more stone chips, maybe even on the drive home from the body shop.

And wax build up on the edge ? Takes three minutes to take care of that.

Diminish the appearance ? Poor light reflection ?? Nobody even notices mine unless I point it out. Of course, those stone chips are much more appealing.

 

Eh i notice them from about 15 feet away and i think it looks terrible. I'm willing to risk the stone chips after the repaint to have the car look the way i want it to.

I'm just very picky about the way it looks and the clear bra doesn't do it for me... maybe the people you hang out with don't notice it... but most of the people i'm around do. to each their own i guess.

As i said the clear bra is a personal taste thing. I guess people take it as a personal attack when some one says they look bad. Oh well.

 

Yep, to each their own. Personal preference of course.

And no, I'm not taking it personally. Just looking for some clarification on why you prefer chips and repainting and then more chips to a nearly invisible line. So... thanks for the clarification.

 

I have a couple thoughts to add. I have a 2003 MCS that now has about 81000 miles on it. I ordered it the way I wanted, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven't missed my E36 M3 at all. That said, there have been many, many "glitches" along the way. Most of them are addressed here on this site. When I buy my next MINI it will have the extended warranty.

My Ultrashield clear bra has been great for 4 years. About 8 months ago it began showing cracks. Now it looks really bad. Probably due to the south Florida sun, it's almost impossible to remove. I've been getting it millimeter by millimeter with a heat gun. I can say it is UV protected. The bad news is that my Electric Blue paint is slightly faded after 5 years. With the shield removed you can see the "darker" paint where it was. My car was in the garage at night, outside all day. I hand washed it weekly, and waxed it myself every couple months.

Just my thoughts.

 

Ben, just curious.... is your car garaged or is it in the sun a lot ?

And Ultrashield... not familiar with that name. Is that the name of the installers or the film that was used ?

 

I think "Ultrashield" is the name of the installer (at least, that's the name of the place that did ours, and it's a franchise/chain).

The films have changed over the years, as well. I know that Ultrashield uses 3M film now, and that 3M has re-designed their film at least once in the last four years. I saw some of the 3M stuff from a few years ago, and it's noticeably thicker than the 8-mil film they use now. Our installer also said that he only recently began putting the 3M film on headlights, because the old stuff used to yellow/crack pretty badly.

 

Also note that the extended maintenance plan is not an extended warranty... two very different beasts...

 

Thanks for the info, Im going for the polyshield and lo-jack .I will think about the extended warranty. Again this site is so helpful, I will be back to learn more..........Dan Faust